Bloodclan AU
by IWriteToHideThePain
Summary: What if Rusty didn't meet a friendly apprentice in the woods, but instead a huge brown tabby tom? What if he wasn't invited to Thunderclan but instead mercilessly attacked and chased into unfamiliar territory? What if Rusty never joined Thunderclan but instead found himself in a more sinister clan? Based off Berrystumpytail's AU.
1. Prologue

Looking up at her warrior ancestors, Bluestar imagined her kin among the stars. She wondered if Mosskit was with her mother and sister. Looking up at silverpelt she could almost see their gentle smiles and their starry fur. For a moment they were with her, their pelts up against hers. They shielded her from the chilly leaf-fall night. But their warmth left as sudden as they came, leaving Bluestar to wonder if they were even there at all.

The memories of them almost made Bluestar forget her troubles. Almost. She lifted her chin and closed her eyes. She sent a silent prayer _Please Starclan_ _tell me what I should do._ Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of pawsteps. The scent of her medicine cat, Spottedleaf, filled the air. Bluestar sighed, suppressing her irritation from being interrupted. "How's Mousefur?"

"She's recovering well" Spottedleaf padded up to where Bluestar sat. Spotteleaf sat so close to her that their pelts brushed. Bluestar's nose filled with the scents of herbs and poultices. "I smell that you've been in the medicine cat's den all day" Bluestar said with a hint of bitterness.

The medicine cat tipped her head "You seem troubled Bluestar, what's wrong?" Spottedleaf asked, her voice filled with concern.

 _As if you don't know_. "Thunderclan suffered a defeat in it's own territory" Bluestar replied coldly. Spottedleaf let out a soft purr "It was just sunningrocks Bluestar, the clan will survive. I'm just grateful that no one was seriously hurt."

"It's not just about injuries. This battle was a sign of Thunderclan weakness, we don't nearly have enough kits in the nursery" Bluestar worries grew. Now that she said her fears out loud, it made them seem all the more real.

"Kits will come with warmer weather" Spottedleaf replied, still as calm as when she first walked into the clearing.

Bluestar fur bristled _how could she be so optimistic at a time like this?_ The medicine cat put her tail on Bluestar's shoulder. "Is this why your out?" Spottedleaf asked "To talk to Starclan?".

Bluestar nodded "They refuse to help, have you gotten any dreams Spottedleaf?".

"Not from them" Spottedleaf said slowly. "But Bluestar, we aren't kits. Starclan can't tell us how to get out of every little conflict sometimes we have to" suddenly Spottedleaf stopped. Bluestar turned to her to see Spottedleaf's eyes wide with terror. She could feel the medicine cat shaking violently. Bluestar let out a small gasp as she realized that Spottedleaf was receiving a prophecy.

 _So they do want to help._ A triumphant feeling washed over her. The spasms suddenly stopped leaving Spottedleaf collapsed on the ground, rapidly gulped in air. Bluestar felt a stab of sympathy for the tortoishell she-cat. _Why hadn't they waited until she asleep until they talked to her?_ Bluestar waited until the she-cat caught her breath. "I got a message from Starclan" Spottedleaf announced still shaking.

Bluestar heart beat faster as she continued. "I saw this fire" she explained "Cats were trapped on this small patch of sand completely surrounded by the flames" Spottedleaf voice trembled with fear, as if she was among the trapped cats. "But then it started to rain and the cats were saved. Then I heard a voice call to me, it said 'The storm will save our clan'".

Angrer burned Bluestar nose to tail tip. "Why are they being so vague, why don't they just tell us?" Bluestar clawed at the earth.

"It is not our place to know Starclan's wisdom. The important thing is Thunderclan will be fine." The medicine got up and back to the direction of the camp. When Bluestar didn't follow, she beckoned to Bluestar with her tail "Come to bed Bluestar, starting tomorrow we're going to have to be on look out for the storm."


	2. Chapter 1

_There's wild cats in there!_

Smudge's warning rang though Rusty's head as he explored the forest beyond his house. He let out an annoyed grunt. The last thing he wanted to think about was his friend's paranoia. He wasn't going home until he was satisfied. Rusty had been a house cat all his life, barely ever being able to feel earth beneath his paws. Sure, there was his garden, but that wasn't the same. It was a small plot of land. With the grass always trimmed and the rocks smooth, it felt completely unnaturally and fake. Now, with the scent of oak and the mushy dirt below, it was real.

He was glad he could be here, even if it was just for awhile. He knew he wouldn't be able to live in the forest, even though he really wanted to. _At least I can catch a mouse before I go_ he thought. He remembered his dream, the one that brought him out here, he remembered how his instincts kicked in to help with the hunt. He remembered how the adrenaline swarmed his body during the chase and he remembered how free he felt being away from his owners. He so badly wanted to try it in the waking world. No silly story of wild cats was going to scare him away.

He tried sniffing the air, but there was so many new and unusual scents that he couldn't pick up mouse scent. He relied on is eyesight instead. In the dream, the mouse had been eating in the roots of an oak. Rusty scanned the trees, but he couldn't find anything. He tried a different strategy, he tried looking through the bushes. Surely a brown pelt would stick out in all this green foliage. Joy leaped in his heart when he realized that he was right. He spotted a tuft of brown fur in the bushes near by.

The dark brown fur begun to move out of the bush, revealing the body attached to it, That joy from before quickly turned into terror. This was no mouse.

"What are you doing in Thunderclan territory?" The brown belonged to a cat. Or at least, Rusty thought it was a cat. It was huge, with fur sticking out in all different places. Tufts furs were missing uncovering red, tormented skin. It's bared teeth long and as sharp as the fences back at Rusty's home. He couldn't be sure if he and this monster-like creature were the same species.

When Rusty didn't move or talk, the tom got frustrated. He leaned up close to Rusty's face. "What are you doing here, kitty-pet?" Rusty felt his hot breath brushed against his muzzle. It was thick with a overwhelming stench of death. He wanted to shrink away but he was frozen with fear. The tom rage grew, with his massive paw he knocked Rusty down.

Rusty was too shocked to react. The tom pinned him to the ground with his monster paw. He unsheathed his unnaturally long claws. Terror swarmed through Rusty as he saw them. _They're huge!_ For a moment he imagined them piercing his skin, blood rushing out of him until he died. The thought of that was enough to make Rusty start struggling out of pure panic.

The tom obviously didn't expect him to fight back, as his grip wasn't very hard. Rusty was able to squeeze out from under him. The tom let out a yowl of frustration and raked his claws into Rusty flank. Rusty screamed in pain and ran as fast as he could. Rusty could hear paw pounding the ground behind him. He began to run wildly, jumping over tree trunks, swerving under bramble.

His mind was blind with panic, he could only think about getting away. He didn't realize that he was getting farther and farther away from his house. When the soft ground turned back into to the hard, smooth twoleg ground, Rusty realized the wild cat had stopped chasing him. But he couldn't relax as he was faced with a new horror, he had no idea where he was.

It was a twoleg place, but it was nothing like where he lived. If was much dirtier, the air reeked of twoleg garbage. The gray pavement stopped in some areas and left a region of dark mud. Rusty was dizzy with exhaustion but he started walking around the unfamiliar territory. He needed to get home before it got too dark. But he couldn't go very far. His sore paws screamed every time he took a step. With the terror gone, he could now feel the scratch on his flank. It felt like hundreds of bees were constantly stinging him.

Finally, Rusty collapsed. His inner kit came out and he wailed in helplessness. He felt despair raising in his heart. Oh, why did he have to go into the forest? Why did that forest cat have to be so cruel? Why didn't run home? Why didn't-

"Shh, do you want bad intentioned cats hear you?" a hiss came from behind "Your waling is basically saying I'm defenseless kit". Turning around, Rusty saw a cat almost as horrifying as the last. It was a skinny, black tom with a ring of bones around his neck.

Rusty let out a gasp of astonishment. "W-who are you?" he asked, still staring at the collar of bones. The black tom didn't look aggressive nor enraged by Rusty's presence. Even with the bones this cat was more rational then the one in the forest. But Rusty did pick something up. He spotted curiosity glinting in the tom's icy blue eyes.

"I'm Scourge" he answered "Leader of Bloodclan."


End file.
